Suffolk County delays plan to install Flock gunfire detection technology for a year
A Flock audio device, which can detect gunfire. Credit: Flock Safety
Suffolk County will delay installing new gunshot detection technology from Flock Safety for a year and instead continue using ShotSpotter, due to an "unforeseen circumstance."
The county will spend as much as $1.2 million on a one-year contract with SoundThinking, the company that operates ShotSpotter, for a deal that started Sept. 6 and runs through Sept. 5, 2027, records show.
On Wednesday, the county's Request For Proposals Waiver Committee, which approves requests for contracts that get around the traditional competitive procurement process, approved the Suffolk County Police Department's request to revise its contract with SoundThinking "to temporarily continue coverage."
The county had been finalizing a five-year, $3.79 million contract with Flock Safety for its gunshot detection technology. Flock has been the subject of nationwide controversy over its technology, which has been found to have been improperly used by some police departments.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Suffolk County will delay the implementation of Flock Safety's gunshot detection technology for a year due to "unforeseen circumstances" and will continue using ShotSpotter, with a one-year contract costing up to $1.2 million.
- The county's RFP Waiver Committee approved the revised contract to ensure no loss of gunshot detection coverage happened.
- Flock Safety's technology, which integrates with its county-installed license plate readers, has faced controversy over privacy concerns.
"There has been some issues with the implementation of that program, so we need gap coverage so we don't lose any ShotSpotter gunshot detection availability within our gunshot areas," said Det. Sgt. Dan Acer, who spoke for the department at the committee meeting Wednesday.
Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina wrote to the committee that the delay is due to "unforeseen circumstance in acquiring a new system for the Department."
Suffolk police also did not respond to a request for comment on the delay implementing new gunshot detection.
Jed Painter, general counsel of the district attorney's office who negotiated parts of the Flock contract, deferred comment on the recent delay to police. Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) said he was unaware of the reason for the delay and was seeking additional information. Mike Martino, spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine, also deferred comment to police.
SoundThinking's contract expired Sept. 5. The one-year coverage deal represents a savings of about $300,000, or 20%, compared with the current annual subscription fee, according to the price proposal. The county will pay SoundThinking in quarterly installments of $308,700. SoundThinking also offered to waive a $9,500 annual subscription fee for its API Notifications, according to the proposal.
Acer told the committee the department anticipates it will take one year to transition to the new company.
Spokespeople for SoundThinking and Flock did not immediately respond to request for comment on both contracts.
The current gunshot detection covers 23.5 square miles, about the same that Flock was set to cover. Suffolk lawmakers approved $1.8 million in funding for ShotSpotter in 2022, with police implementing the technology in 2023.
Catalina wrote the extension will allow "continuity of system service and updates after the full implementation of the new system."
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and Suffolk police had pitched Flock Safety as an improved and cost-saving technology system that can better differentiate sounds to pinpoint incidents requiring a police response.
The Flock gunshot detection technology can also integrate into the company's vast network of license plate readers, which the company has advertised as a way for police to potentially locate fleeing suspects.
When gunfire is detected, the Flock system "automatically queries all Flock LPR cameras in the surrounding area to surface every license plate captured within a configurable time window of the event," Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley wrote in a March letter to Dara Martin, assistant deputy commissioner for Suffolk police.
District Attorney Ray Tierney discussed the ShotSpotter program with county lawmakers last year and said there's "hesitation" in communities where gang violence is prevalent for people to call police, which is why the technology aids law enforcement.
In 2025, Suffolk police reported 32 shootings that resulted in 35 victims, with 12 of those shootings occurring in a ShotSpotter zone, according to stats from the district attorney's office. In addition, there were 87 complaints for shots fired, which are incidents where no person was struck. About half of those shots did not lead to a 911 call.
The existing gun detection is set up in communities like Central Islip, Coram, Bellport, Wyandanch and Mastic.
In a July 24 letter to Flock, Legis. Greg Doroski (D-Mattituck) requested a representative attend the legislature's Sept. 3 Public Safety Committee meeting as well as answer a series of written questions related to the firm's privacy and data-sharing policies. The company did not respond. The next Public Safety Committee meeting is Oct. 8.
Doroski represents the North Fork, where there's been growing pushback to the license plate reader cameras and several cases of vandalism. Law enforcement in Suffolk have credited the cameras with aiding in investigations such as stolen vehicles and illegal dumping.
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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